Tumblr For iPhone, iPad Updated With Mature 17+ Rating

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Tumblr for iOS is the latest iOS app to take precautions following the 500px and Vine porn controversy.

Per reports, Tumblr for iOS-based iPhone and iPad has been updated by the developers with a brand new mature 17+ rating feature to avoid any future embarrassments.

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The Tumblr app follows up the tough couple of weeks for iOS apps, with both 500px and Vine getting attention for allowing access to adult material. 500px was the last such iOS app that was pulled for a week before finally returning with the new 17+ rating.

Although the developers bumped the apps version to 3.2.4 with the addition of "Small bug fixes" as the only change made, users updating to the new version are finding themselves facing a brand new dialogue box that compels them to confirm that they're 17 or over if they wish to update to the newest version of the app.

"You must be at least 17 years old to download this app," Tumblr writes in its description of the app in the iTunes App Store, because it contains "Frequent/Intense Sexual Content or Nudity."

"Apple's policy clearly prohibits the distribution of nude or pornographic material through the App Store, meaning any app that has access to the internet or certain adult themed blogs should carry the 17+ rating," an Apple Insider report states.

"Only certain apps are affected by the rule, however, as evidenced by Tumblr's app which had until today gone untouched."

However, it's still not clear if the app was tweaked by Tumblr as a preventative measure, or if there had actually been some complaints that instigated the decision. "Obviously, the Tumblr app, much like 500px - or mobile Safari, for that matter - is able to access a number of blogs that may have NSFW material," The Verge states.

Apart from 500px, the Twitter-owned Vine also added to the porn controversy over the week. As far as Vine is concerned, it is a short video sharing service that allows users to record and post six-second clips to the internet.

The app was also featured as an App Store "Editors' Choice" only to be discovered later that hardcore pornography could easily be found via the service's hashtag search function.